Potsie's Birthday Surprise
by FonzFan82
Summary: This year, Potsie celebrates his birthday with his wife, Velma, his adoptive sister, Andrea, his two sons and of course the Osmond family. The family finds something very touching. What will Potsie's surprise this year be?
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Real people in the stories you see on here and fictionpress accounts are all used fictionally. This is a rewrite to the original version 'Potsie's Family.' Hope you all enjoy! This was actually my first Happy Days crossover. Also: Lyrics to 'He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother' are not mine.

Potsie, Velma, and Arthur went to Utah to visit the family for Potpie's birthday. They went the day before Potsie's birthday that year. Donny Osmond, Potsie's adopted father, was the only family member not present because he was kidnapped. During the kidnapping, he got murdered. The police caught the kidnapper and put him into jail for life.

_Flashback:_

_Donny Osmond, a rock and roll singer from the 70s, was in the recording studio, was not aware of someone behind him. Donny felt someone grab him from behind him but did not catch what the person who put his hands on Donny's mouth. All Donny knew was the hand felt rough. Then the man put a piece of duct tape around Donny's mouth so he couldn't scream for help. Donny was finished recording his half of 'A Little Bit Country, A Little Bit Rock 'N' Roll' and waited for Marie, his sister to do her half. They were working on a new album together._

_Then the man who tied up Donny walked with Donny out of the recording studio and to the car, which was a 1989 Taurus. The color of the car was light tan and white. The man threw Donny in the trunk of the car. Donny heard the trunk door slam as loud as it could and then the man started the engine. Donny wondered where they were going. His guess was probably a secret hideout where his kidnapper lived. The car was a car that seated for people. The man stopped by a nearby gas station to get more fuel. So he did so. He had about a quarter of a tank. The capturer Donny had was a big man, who was American, wore a lot of black: black shirt, black socks, black shoes. Even his hair was black. The man somehow looked to be in his early thirties, maybe thirty – three or four._

_After filling the gas tank, the man went into the gas station to pay for the gas. Then the man came right back and started the ignition. Donny swallowed a little. He could tell the man who left with him sounded evil and not friendly. He hoped he would be in time for his son, Warren's birthday that was coming up. He did adopt Warren from a Milwaukee orphanage and Warren looked like he needed a home at the minute. He had Warren since he was four years old and now Warren felt a lot happier to have a home._

_Donny felt his mouth start to dry up. He needed a drink right away. He hoped to get something when the car parked to wherever it was moving. He hoped the duct tape would be off him sometime soon. It turned out Donny was not going to be at his son's birthday this year. One thing Donny did not know that he was going to die. He had done nothing wrong to make his capturer angry at him but why would the man want him for? Donny thought to himself._

_Then the man-made it to his hideout, which was an abounded farm that had not been used for over a hundred years or so. The farm had a barn but the barn was aging and could use a real fix – up. Once the man stopped the ignition and opened the driver's door, he unlocked the trunk and carried Donny. Donny thought the man's grip was strong. Strong enough to get down in your throat and choke. At least Donny was lucky that didn't happen to him. For now, anyway. The man opened the barn door, making it squeak. For Donny, it sounded like the squeaking sound of the barn door was a bit loud. Loud enough that a lot of people could hear. Donny felt the man's grip put him down on the haystack. The haystack felt too stiff for him to lie or sit down on, which he thought. Then he heard the man tie him up by the chicken stand and did not bother to take the duct tape off. An hour or two later, the man entered the barn a second time. He did not bother to take the duct tape off Donny's mouth or untie Donny free. Donny heard a sound of a gunshot. He hoped the gun didn't aim his way. He was wrong. The man shot the trigger towards Donny's head. The man decided to pull the trigger and shoot at Donny's head. The gunshot ended up loud. The next minute, Donny did not have any strength to live, so he ended up dying right away._

_End Flashback_

When Potsie and Velma heard about the news on the way home, Potsie wanted to talk to the kidnapper about Donny. So they did that.

"He might have a lawyer, Warren, so he might not speak to you. Have you thought of that?" Velma asked.

"No, I haven't," Potsie said.

"Better be ready on the lawyer part, Warren. He might not speak at all," Alan, one of the oldest brothers of Donny's said as they headed to the sheriff's office.

He found a parking spot, which wasn't hard to find at all. They stayed for a minute or two at the jail because the kidnapper wouldn't speak at all. His lawyer was there, all right. Velma was right about that part. When they walked into the jailhouse, Alan, Velma and Potsie went to the receptionist's desk and asked if the sheriff was there. He was. He had just returned from patrol and didn't mind taking Alan, Potsie, and Velma to the kidnapper's lawyer. To them the kidnapper said not a word. He decided not to tell Potsie and family what happened. They headed home right away.

"Who's staying with who?" Alan asked.

Velma, Potsie and Arthur said they didn't care.

"Arthur, who do you want to stay with?" Alan asked.

"I guess I'll stay with Uncle Wayne," he said, after thinking about it.

"Okay. I guess I'll take you," Wayne said.

Alan didn't mind having Velma and Potsie.

"You can get to know my wife a bit better. She's a very nice woman. When you were here last time, Warren, you didn't talk to her at all. Don't be afraid to speak to her. I know you're strangers, but she's family," Alan said.

He picked up the cell and called Sheryl at the house. She was home, so he told her to expect Potsie and Velma.

"All right. I guess I'll get started on the guest room. It'll take a while on the room.

"What is Velma like, Alan?" Sheryl asked.

"Nothing like Warren, but smart and wears glasses but she is friendly," Alan said.

"All right. I'll d my best," Sheryl said.

They got to Wayne's house first because it was on the way. Alan and Wayne helped with the suitcases.

Wayne's house was a brick ranch style with a roof, (which needed fixing) held two bedrooms, one master and one guest room. Like all houses, it held a laundry room, TV set, lawn mower, closets, bathtubs, toilets, kitchens, cupboards, sinks, etc. Lately Wayne had used the guest room as an office but this one time he would let Arthur, his nephew, sleep in that room. The guest room was on the first floor, so it would do Arthur good since he was in a wheelchair for his entire life. Arthur had been blind in both eyes and did not have any vision at all, couldn't walk, etc.

"I've decided to move, but since hearing about Grandpa Osmond, I was told to move to Milwaukee. While I'm out here, I'm going to look for a house and go from there and plan on moving back here," Arthur said.

Arthur had lived with a former high school friend in an apartment but for some reason the plan arrangement did not work out the way they wanted it to.

"Sounds fine with us, Arthur. Did you buy a house in Milwaukee?" Alan asked him.

"No. I moved in with an old high school friend, but I don't think it's going to work out," Arthur said.

That night, the family ate dinner together at Jay's house, they caught up on the latest news.

"Warren, tell them your news," Velma said.

"What's the news?" Merrill asked, getting interested.

Potsie told the entire story, but started at the beginning with the TV show, "Take a Chance, Be a Star."

_Flashback:_

_Exactly five years ago, Potsie was on national television. He had entered a musical show as a contest and he was accepted right away. This pleased Potpie this was his first time on national television and was pretty excited about it. The night of the show, Potsie felt this was going to be good. He felt excited and nervous at the same time. Back in his high school days, he wasn't shy to sing for his fellow students. Later, when he was in college with his friends, Richie Cunningham and Ralph Malph, they formed a band together and it worked out well except they did not tour the country since they did not have a name for their band._

_He had never been this nervous before since he was going to sing for the entire world. He'd never recorded a song or album so this was a big deal to him. There were about thirty other contestants besides him. He had to wait until ten people before him were finished. He was the eleventh contestant on that night's show. Out of all thirty contestants, Potpie was the oldest. He didn't seem to care if he was older or not. It was no big deal, anyway._

_Then the judge called his name. _

_"Welcome Warren Webber." _

_He heard the fans clapping and screaming and whistling. The fans had been there with Potpie since the first season. Potpie sang his song, which was his adoptive father, Donny sang with his brothers._

_Potsie somehow decided to do the Osmonds' 'He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother' tune. That song was popular back in the 70s, so Potpie decided to give the legendary number one hit song a try on this television show and see what people would think of his version of the song._

_"The road is long, with many a winding turn_

_That leads us to who knows where, who knows where_

_But I'm strong, strong enough to carry him_

_He ain't heavy, he's my brother_

_So on we go, his welfare is my concern_

_No burden is he to bear, we'll get there_

_For I know, he would not comber me_

_He ain't heavy, he's my brother_

_If I'm laden at all, I'm laden with sadness_

_That everyone's heart isn't filled with the gladness of the love,_

_For one another_

_It's a long, long road, from which there is no return,_

_While we're on the way there, why not share?_

_And the load, doesn't weigh me down at all_

_He ain't heavy, he's my brother_

_He ain't heavy, he's my brother_

_He ain't heavy, he's my brother…," _

_Potsie finished._

_Again there was applause from the audience. He could tell they liked his song. Potsie was surprised at how many people loved his version from the original 'Hollies' song. Of course, the Osmond brothers recorded it back in the 70s and it had been a hit for them back in the day when they were popular._

_"Thank you, everyone. I am glad you like the song," Potsie said as the audience clapped one more time._

_After the other contestants after him sang their tunes, the judge decided to give a winner and close the show after that night._

_"Our winner is: Warren Webber," the judge announced and one again more applauding. _

_Potsie went up to the judge and received his award._

_"Since you were our winner, your reward is to record your own albums and songs. Congratulations, Warren," the judge replied as the audience clapped again._

_Potsie saw the fans enjoyed his winning that night's show on its last episode of its airing._

_End Flashback_

"The show didn't do so well, so it lasted one night, and I was the only famous contestant they had on the show and with the highest score. They called me the next morning and said I won and told me I could go to the Grand Ole Opry anytime I wished," Potsie said.

"You're the first one of us to go to the Opry, Warren. When are you planning on going?" Jay asked.

When Potsie was on that show, it was true it lasted one night but the audience seemed to enjoy it since the show did not do well in the ratings.

"Sometime next year. January sometime," Potsie said.

"After the holidays is always a good idea, Warren," Andrea agreed.

"Here's some more news. It's about Stephanie. She got married for the third time and this husband is a football coach for the Green Bay Packers. His name is Roger Presley, and his cousin is in the music business like you guys. His cousin's name is Elvis Presley, so we are now related to him," Velma said.

Stephanie, who was first-born to her other brothers, Henry and Arthur had a screwed up life. Stephanie married a third time and Roger somehow agreed to marry her with his illness. Stephanie was born a triplet so it made her the eldest of the three. Henry and Arthur were born second and third. Henry was born after she was and Arthur was last. Stephanie always had screwed up her life in the past and today it was screwed up as well.

The Osmonds got a little speechless about this news. Of course they knew Elvis.

"You mean, we're related to the most famous man in the business? You're kidding, Velma," Andrea said.

"It's true. We had a nice family meal together at Elvis's house, something Warren could eat with us. Even his wife and daughter were there as well. They sound like a nice family. Stephanie and Roger have two sons named Alan and Scott. Alan's the oldest, so he's probably eight or ten, and Scott is in kindergarten, so he's probably five," Velma said.


	2. Chapter 2

The next day, Andrea got a phone call from Sheriff James. He told her that they found two more of her family members, Henry and Marie Osmond.

"You've got to be kidding, Sheriff! We thought they were dead all these years," Andrea said on the phone.

"Turns out they're not, Andrea. They were kidnapped all these years. We have the kidnappers locked up with your father's kidnapper, so they're together. You can come now and pick them up and take them home. Don't let the media talk to either Henry or Marie about this kidnapping thing. Marie's kind of in a shock now," Sheriff James said.

"I understand. I'm on my way," Andrea said as they hung up.

True, she and Potpie were in the same family, but like Potpie, she was also adopted and had a twin. They were identical. Virginia was not at the dinner that night because she had a murder of her own that nobody could solve even today. She and Virginia were adopted when they were seven at the time and Potpie was a bit older. The three of them were adopted at the same orphanage in Milwaukee.

Andrea showed up at the office within ten minutes. She didn't live very far away from work. When she got into the office, she and Sheriff James talked for a while, and then picked up Marie and Henry and Sheriff James said he would see Andrea on Monday.

"Okay. I'll be here Monday."

While growing up, Andrea and Virginia had always wanted to be a writer and a police officer. At that time when they were children, Andrea had watched a lot of the Andy Griffith show and that was what made her mind up on what she could do when she grew up. She somehow saw herself like Barney Fife and carried a pistol. Like Barney Fife, she herself was also deputy sheriff.

She was so happy to see Henry and Marie again after all these years.

"You two can stay with me," she said to them.

They didn't mind. On their way home, they decided to go to the mall so they could get some fresh clothes for Henry and Marie. They were at the mall for two hours, shopping at all the clothes stores. Andrea would wait while Marie and Henry would try on the clothes they wanted. Henry had been in show business since he was twenty years old, so he knew what to do about clothes. He had to buy the hottest style for his character on General Hospital every week. That was his need on his contract, so he was used to buying expensive clothes.

When they got back to Andrea's house, Henry got on the phone and dialed General Hospital to let them know he was still alive and asked if the job was still open. They said it was, and were surprised he was still alive. Henry said he would be there in two hours for rehearsal. He called the other show, which was the action show to let them know about him. They were surprised to hear his voice. They let him back on the show, too. They said he could start again Tuesday. Henry said he could come Monday for rehearsal, which they asked him to. Henry told Andrea that he got his job back at both places.

"Good to hear. Do you want to get into fresh clothes?" she asked both Henry and Marie.

They said they would in a minute. Henry let Marie go first. The phone rang. It was one of Andrea's friends, Kristina.

"Hi, Kristina," she said when it was done ringing for the second tine.

"Do you want to get together for dinner tonight?" Kristina asked.

"I'm afraid tonight's a bad night. I guests at my house," Andrea said.

She didn't mention Henry and Marie were over there.

"Oh. I see. How about tomorrow for lunch, then?" Kristina asked.

"We'll see. Tomorrow is Warren's eighty – eighth birthday, but I'll wait and see what's going on," Andrea said.

"I've forgotten about Warren. I had no idea he was in town."

"He is. He got in sometime yesterday," Andrea said.

They talked for a bit longer, then hung up. Henry heard the conversation, knowing his name wasn't mentioned.

"You could have said yes, Aunt Andrea," Henry said.

"I know, but I want to see what your father's plans are. Tomorrow's his birthday," Andrea said.

"Does that mean Aunt Marie and I get to see the family?" Henry asked.

"We'll see. I'll think about it. I know it'll surprise them, but I want to know what your father's plans are before we do anything. If you do see them, don't say anything about being kidnapped right away. Save it for another time. You can tell your mother, but not your father, unless your mother tells him. We're not telling your father this kind of news on his birthday. We don't want it ruined. If you see him on his birthday, you and Aunt Marie will be his birthday gifts," Andrea said.

"Yeah, from you, because you found us," Henry said.

"That's true, Henry, but you should thank Sheriff James for finding you and Aunt Marie," Andrea said.

"He gets the credit for finding you two after all these years," she told him.

"True," Henry said.

The phone rang just then. It was Potpie this time.

"Hi, Warren," Andrea said.

"Hi, Andrea. We're planning on going to the movies tonight. Do you want to come along?" Potpie asked.

"Hmm. I'll think about it. I have some guests at the house," Andrea said.

"Oh. Who are they?" Potpie asked.

"Two of my friends from Chicago," Andrea said.

"Okay. Call back in a few minutes. We need to know if you're going or not because the movie starts at five."

"All right."

Andrea told Henry his father just called.

"He wants me to go to the movies with them," she said.

"You and Marie can stay here alone for a while. I don't know what movie it's going to be, but I'll find out."

"All right. We'll be fine. Trust me."

"Not by yourselves, you won't. I'll have Sheriff James put a deputy on the doorstep so you won't get kidnapped again."

She dialed Sheriff James and told him the story.

"All right, Andrea. I'll send one of the men to look after the house while you're gone with the family. If there's anything going on, we'll have our man call you on the cell," he said as they hung up.

"He's having a deputy come over right away," Andrea said as Marie came down again.

Today Marie's newly outfit was light orange and hot pink with dandelions and cactus on the front of the shirt. The back of the shirt was plain. She had on light brown pants made of cotton. The shirt was also 100% cotton. Even her hair was neatly washed. While she and Henry were with the kidnappers these past some years, the kidnapper never let them get into fresh clothes or bathe themselves.

Henry headed for the shower next.

"What's going on?" Marie asked.

Andrea told her.

"I know Henry and I aren't children anymore, but we can watch ourselves," Marie told her.

"What if someone breaks into the house when I'm gone and gets you two?" Andrea asked.

She headed for the phone again and called Potpie on his cell and told him she would meet them at the movies.

"Okay. What about your friends? They can come, too," Potpie said.

"They're too tired from their flight. They'd rather stay here at the house and rest while I'm with you," Andrea said.

"Okay. If you say so."

"Who's that? Your boyfriend?" Marie asked as she got off the phone.

"No. Warren. He invited me to go the movies with them tonight," I told him I have houseguests from Chicago."

"You don't want him to think it's me and Henry?" Marie asked.

"Right. That's why I'm making up a story," Andrea said.

"Pretty good so far, but it's a lie."

"I know, but I had to do it."

Andrea waited until the deputy came over so she could leave to the movie theatre.

"I'm leaving my nephew and aunt here. I'm doing a family thing for a while. If there's anything going wrong, call me on the cell," Andrea said.

"All right, Andrea. I have the number. Sheriff James gave it to me," he said.

She drove off. She met the family there. They decided to see a PG – 13 movie.

"How are your friends doing, Andrea?" Potpie asked.

"Fine, but they're still tired from all that flying," she said.

"How long are they in Utah?" Potpie asked while they were in to get their tickets for the movie.

"I think until Thanksgiving," Andrea said.

"Oh."

During the beginning of the film, Andrea's cell rang, so she had to leave the movie to take the call.

"Hi, Deputy Williams," she said.

She listened to what he was saying. She didn't like what was going on.

"I'm on my way," she said as they hung up.

_Flashback:_

_While Deputy Williams was standing guard at the back of the house, he didn't hear a burglar come in. The burglar must have walked in the front door. The house was big enough to have about four guests, one master bedroom, three baths, five bedrooms. Andrea's house was probably built-in the late 1800s. It had been updated in the past couple hundred years. While the thief was walking into the kitchen, which held a kitchen cupboard, kitchen table and chairs, a couch in the living room, a dining area, a TV set with a clicker. The kitchen table looked like it was in need for a fix – up. The burglar who entered the front door of the house, he was not aware there was a cop guarding the back of the house._

_While nobody was looking around, the burglar, who was in his late thirties, American, light brown hair, hazel eyes, not very friendly. He mostly kept to himself since he was a thief. He spotted Marie Osmond and Henry Webber in the living room. Henry was sitting on one of the couches and Marie was on the other. They were playing cards. The game was Go Fish. So he tiptoed over behind the couch Henry was sitting and grabbed Henry by his newly expensive polo dark blue shirt. Henry felt the hard grip. This was something Henry could not call for help about. The thief hoped Henry wouldn't scream for help. Before Henry could think about it, it was too late. The man's grip was too strong to think about calling for help._

_The man added a tight rope after putting duct tape on Henry's mouth. He went and continued the routine for Marie as well. Like Henry's shirt, the man also wrinkled Marie's newly shirt she had bought earlier today. Like Henry, she couldn't call for help. The burglar was nice enough not to kidnap them a second time. All he did was tie them up and then left the house. The deputy, whose name was Frank Williams, heard the front door creak. The man did not want the officer to hear him but he had no choice. By the time Williams entered through the back door, the burglar was gone and spotted Henry and Marie sitting on the couches tied up with duct tape on their mouths._

_End Flashback_

Nothing happened to Marie or Henry when the burglar was in the house, but he only took some of her favorite things: jewelry, music, clothes, silverware. The burglar was caught within twenty minutes. Williams and another deputy caught him. It wasn't Andrea because she was on her way home. She sounded disappointed to see the movie, but she'll catch it on DVD. The burglar did not escape fast enough to get caught but somehow Williams dialed another cop and the deputy drove as fast as he could to Andrea's house. The burglar was disappointed that the officers found out he was there at the house.

"Good thing nothing happened to you two or you would have been gone again," Andrea said.

"We were hiding in the closet," Henry said.

Henry knew it was time to leave for General Hospital.

"Excuse me, it's time to leave," Henry said, knowing what time it was.

"Okay. I'll drive you over in a minute, Henry," Andrea said.

Marie rode along with Andrea and Henry.


	3. Chapter 3

Eric Anderson was surprised to see Henry again. When Henry walked into the studio, Eric was in and saw Henry.

"Henry Webber, is that really you?" Eric asked when Henry walked in.

"Yes, it is me," Henry said.

"Well, where have you been all these past years? Dead?" Eric asked.

"No. Don't make me talk about it. If the media's around, I'm not supposed to talk about it," Henry said.

"Okay. We should go to lunch sometime and talk about the latest news," Eric said.

"All right. Tomorrow sounds fine with me," Henry said.

"Okay. Do you want me to pick you up or do you want to meet somewhere?" Eric asked.

"How about if we meet?" Henry asked.

"All right. Sounds good," Eric said.

They agreed lunch at noon the next day. Eric asked about Potpie and Velma.

"I don't know how they're doing because I haven't seen them yet," Henry said.


	4. Chapter 4

The next day arrived. It was finally Potsie's birthday. Andrea was at her house for the morning with Henry and Marie.

We'll go there at nine and surprise Warren without calling. He and Velma are over at Uncle Alan's house," Andrea told Henry and Marie.

"That's a good spot to be," Henry said.

"You know it," Andrea said.

They waited until nine o'clock that morning and headed to the car. They got to Alan and Sheryl's house within fifteen minutes. Potsie, Velma and Sheryl were the only ones awake, but Alan was the only one in bed that day, sleeping in.

Alan was busy sleeping when Andrea drove up.

"Wait here for a few minutes. I'll see if anyone will answer the door," Andrea said.

She rang the doorbell. Sheryl answered it.

"Hi, Andrea. Alan's here, but still in bed, sleeping," Sheryl said.

Sheryl looked good for her age at fifty years old. She looked like she recently lost twenty pounds. She was wearing makeup, a skirt, which was yellow with bright pink in the background, shoes to match and brown socks. Her blonde hair looked like it was starting to gray.

"Oh. Warren around? I brought over a birthday present for him," Andrea said, "but it's in the car."

"Yes, he's around. He's with Velma outside in the backyard," Sheryl said.

"I'll wait here."

Sheryl went to the backyard and told Potsie and Velma that Andrea was here.

"I wasn't expecting anyone this early," Potsie told Velma.

"Well, it's your birthday," Velma told him.

"I know. I'll see what's out there," he said as he left Velma out in the yard.

Sheryl kept Velma company while Potsie went to see Andrea for a while.

"Happy birthday, Warren," Andrea said.

He saw she had a smile on her face. Today she was in uniform. The uniform had a badge on the left side of her uniform, a pistol in the jeans. Andrea's long blonde hair looked like it needed to be washed. He knew officers had to be filthy while on the job because of the blood on victims and such.

"Hi, Andrea. Thanks. I wasn't expecting you until later," he said.

"I bet you weren't, but I thought I would bring your birthday gift now. It's a surprise. It's in the car. Go get Uncle Alan so he can see for himself."

"Not when he's asleep."

"Just do it."

"Okay. I'll see if I can get him to wake up," Potsie said.

He left her for a minute or so while he went to the master bedroom upstairs and knocked on the door. Alan got up, still tired. His slippers were on, but no robe. He answered the door.

"Warren, if you want something, go to Sheryl about it," Alan said.

"Andrea's here and she's going to give my birthday gift now and she wants you to see it," Potsie told him.

"Right now? Wait for a minute. I'm going to change into my clothes. Wait right here," Alan told him and closed the door again.

He changed into his favorite shirt and nice pants. The shirt was light lime green with a bit of dark blue with a sunset in the background with trees as well. He pair of pants he was wearing looked like they were brand new, which was black jeans. The jeans looked to be a month old now.

"Okay, Warren, I'm ready. Let's go," Alan said, coming out again.

He followed Potsie down the stairs again. He said good morning to Andrea and followed her outside to the car.

"You two better close your eyes on this one," she told them.

"All right. They're closed," Alan said.

Andrea opened the door of the backseat and let Henry and Marie out, which they did get out of the car.

"Okay. You can open your eyes now," Andrea said.

Alan and Potpie opened their eyes. Both Alan and Potpie were surprised to see Henry and Marie.

"What is going on here? I thought you had two friends from Chicago staying at your house," Potsie said.

"I only made that story up, Warren," Andrea said.

"And I believed you on that. So when you said you had houseguests, you mean Henry and Aunt Marie, right?" Potsie asked.

"Right. Sheriff James found them," Andrea said.

"You mean they're not dead?" Alan asked surprised to hear this.

"Right. They were only kidnapped," Andrea said, "but don't let the media talk about it with these two."

"This is the best gift I've gotten, Andrea," Potsie said, giving his sister a hug.

"This is a surprise," Alan agreed.

"Where's Donny? Could I see him?" Marie asked.

"Let me tell you about that while we're in the house," Alan told her.

Velma was wondering what Potsie had gotten from Andrea.

"Go show Velma and Sheryl what you got, Warren," Alan told him.

"All right. What about Sheryl? She's with Velma in the backyard," Potsie said.

"We'll explain later to Sheryl," Alan said as they walked to the backyard.

Andrea said she had to go to work.

Andrea said she had to go to work.

"All right, Andrea. We'll see you later," Alan told her.

"Okay," she said, heading back to her car.

Her car was a 2000 Nissan. She happened to like her favorite color for a car. Her favorite color was turquoise. It was light blue and inside had leather light brown seats in both front and back, air conditioning, CD player, radio, windshield, seatbelts, gas tank, etc. like any other car would have. This car was not new and it was also not the kind of police car she would not want to drive. She mostly thought of it as her own personal car and not for business. The car held four seats, two for the front and two for the back just like any other kind of car did. Her twin sister, Virginia, who was now deceased, was different. Her sister liked hot pink and royal blue.

Potsie was ahead of Alan and walked over to Sheryl and Velma. His wife, Velma, was wearing her trademark orange shirt and red skirt. She had always worn that kind of outfit and never tired of it. Those were her favorite colors. Her light brown hair now was turning gray and she now was in her early seventies. Sheryl wore an old outfit she had: dark red shirt with matching buttons, in the background it had a forest of deer in it eating ark. Her pants were light black jeans with a zipper. Today her hair was wrapped into a ponytail. Her hair, unlike Velma's, was shoulder – length blonde hair. She was a lot younger than Potpie and Velma. She happened to be in her mid – fifties and still hadn't lost any of her beauty.

"Velma, you wouldn't believe what Andrea just gave me!" he said, happily.

"What's that? I was wondering what she gave you because you were gone for a while," Velma said.

"You better see for yourself," Potsie said.

"Is Alan still asleep, Warren?" Sheryl asked.

"No, he's up."

Potsie and Velma had been married for over thirty years now and he was turning eighty – eight today. They once met in a Mexican restaurant.

_Flashback:_

_Velma, now divorced from her drunk husband, Bob Anderson, was heading out to town. She told her son and daughter, Ryan and Jessica she hoped she wouldn't be gone too late. Jessica and Ryan had not been crazy about their drunk father. They were always afraid around him. Bob was nothing like Jessica and Ryan and they did not inherit any of the family heritage on his side since they sounded more like their mother and had her personalities but some of them were different._

_Velma took the bus to town. She saw the bus was half – full with natives and tourists. She told the driver she wanted to be dropped off on 3rd Avenue. She was going on her first date with country music artist, Warren Webber. He was handsome: dark black hair, a nice smile, wearing old dirty light tan pants and a nice shirt top that was also tan but this time it had buttons and a tie to go along with it. His pants looked like they were on their last legs. Warren was nothing like the musical family, the Osmonds since he did not inherit any of their personalities or looks. _

_When they first met, he was living at his now murdered adoptive father, Donny Osmond's house. Potsie was somehow a diabetic and had been one since he was four years old. He had not yet asked for a booth or window. He thought it made sense to wait for her and then get a table. The place was not that busy and it was already four – forty – five in the afternoon. Jessica and Ryan wished they would go along with their mother, but they did remember it was a private party._

_Potsie did not mention to Velma as yet that he was a diabetic. She would just have to find out for herself once they got around to ordering their meals. Velma arrived right on time. She was not at all late since he had waited for less than five minutes._

_"Am I late, Warren?" Velma asked._

_"No. You're just on time. I've been here less than five minutes," he said._

_"You look nice tonight," she complimented him._

_"Thanks. So do you."_

_A man in his late teens came over to them. His outfit was the restaurant's logo. It was light tan with the flag for Mexico. The restaurant somehow preferred it made sense even if they were in America. His work shirt was neatly washed and ironed. His nametag read Robert._

_"Would you like to be seated now, Mr. Webber?" the man asked._

_"Yes, please. My party just arrived," Potsie said, giving Velma a smile._

_Robert did not pay attention to Velma being from the famous group, Mystery Incorporated. Robert's neatly haircut was the color of light brown but it was lighter than Velma's own hair. His eyes were dark brown. He seated them in a booth near the back._

_"Your server today is Carol. She'll be here in a few minutes," Robert said and disappeared._

_He was off to wash some tables. Velma and Potsie watched him leave._

_"Nice man," Velma remarked._

_Potsie agreed._

_"My son and daughter were jealous they weren't involved in our date tonight. I told them it was just the two of us," Velma said._

_"That's all right. Maybe next time we could hang out with them," Potsie said apologetically. _

_"That's nice, but we'll see what next time would be like," Velma replied._

_"All righty."_

___Carol, a pretty girl in her mid twenties came by. Her work outfit matched Robert's. They were not an item but have known each other since he first got hired. Her shoes were _laced on the color of her fancy purple shoes. They did not look like Reeboks or Nikes at all. Velma couldn't place the brand of the shoes but could tell they looked expensive. Her hair was neatly cut since she had been to a parlor recently. Her hair had nothing to do with dye but it was a nice color of red hair. Her hair was darker than Velma's friend, Daphne's.

_"What would you like to drink?" Carol asked._

_"Water's fine for me."_

_"I'll have the same," Velma said as they watched Carol pour water in their tall glasses._

_"I'll be back shortly while you decide what you would like," Carol said and disappeared to seat the next party._

_Velma and Potsie went through the menu. Potsie wanted to ask what they served for diabetics. About ten to fifteen minutes later Carol returned._

_"What would you like?" she asked, a pen and a small notebook in her hand._

_"What do you serve for diabetics?" Potsie asked._

_Carol told him and he decided to play safe by ordering a salad. Velma ordered the number three enchilada plate._

_"Be right with you," Carol said and disappeared once more to the kitchen to give the chef their orders._

_"You didn't tell me you were diabetic."_

_"Sorry, Velma. I didn't plan on mentioning it but now you know."_

_"Yes, I am. Thank you for alerting me."_

_"No problem."_

_The two chatted the entire time their orders were being made. Meanwhile, Velma's ex, Bob, had followed Velma to the restaurant since Ryan and Jessica told him where she went. Like he cared, Ryan and Jessica thought silently to each other. For an ex – husband, Bob was jealous of every single man who would date Velma. He did not know that Velma was on her first date with famous country music artist, Warren Webber. He would find that out for himself._

___Bob decided to follow Velma so she wouldn't know she was being followed. He followed some three feet behind her. Of course Velma had no idea she was followed from an ex – husband would care about such thing. Bob had drunk for over forty years now. _

_By now Bob's face now was brown of age because of his drinking and it was needed a shave big – time. He did not bother going in the restaurant and barge right in on her. He peeked out of the nearest window she was sitting. He wanted to see what this date looked like. He saw them talking with smiles on their faces. They both were eating their meals but he couldn't place what their meals were._

_Several minutes later, Bob decided to run for it since he did not want to get caught from Velma about Potsie. Potsie somehow did not look familiar to him and he didn't seem to care either way. He made it home fast, breathing fast. Ryan and Jessica had a baby – sitter when he was out looking for their mother. The baby – sitter was a girl in her late teens and lived in the neighborhood. Bob asked her on such short notice if she could keep after Ryan and Jessica for a while when he went out. The girl said she would be happy to._

_Ryan and Jessica were watching television with the baby – sitter when Bob came in panting heavily. The baby – sitter now became aware of his presence. _

_"Hi, Mr. Anderson," the baby – sitter greeted him._

_He didn't answer the girl. Ryan and Jessica were wondering how the search for Velma went but they would soon find out for themselves. Potsie offered to drive Velma to her house. Velma had a funny feeling she was spied on but she didn't bother mentioning it to Potpie. Once he parked the car in Velma's driveway, she thanked him for paying dinner that night._

_"My pleasure. Want me to walk in with you?" he asked._

_"I think the children should be in bed by now but you can come in to say good – night to them."_

_"Sounds good."_

_They entered the house and she found out the door was unlocked. _

_"What's going on here?" Velma asked herself._

_"What are you talking about?"_

_"Ryan and Jessica know better to lock the door after someone who leaves the house. I wonder why they didn't do it tonight. I'll have a talk with them."_

_"Not tonight."_

_"Not tonight but some other time," Velma told him as she opened the front door for the two of them._

_Bob was now sitting in front of the television set with a bottle of whiskey seated next to him on a nearby table. Jessica and Ryan had been in their bedrooms for less than ten minutes ago. Velma looked at Bob and Bob caught her staring in his direction._

_"Bob, you get here now!" she yelled in a tone of voice to catch his attention._

_Bob stood up and went to her direction._

_"Just exactly what are you doing with him? I thought you were my girl," Bob told her._

_"Not anymore since we've been divorced for some time. Why would you care on who I can and can't date?" Velma asked, surprised he found out about Potsie._

_"It is my business!" he said angrily._

_"No, it's not! Your business is not mine!"_

_Jessica and Ryan had been awake for a couple of minutes ago when Velma started yelling at their father. Of course Velma wasn't going to punish them but would ask how Bob found out on her first date with Potsie. Ryan knocked softly and quietly on his sister's door and she answered it in a scared look. Jessica could tell his look was identical to hers._

_"What's going on down there?" Ryan asked._

_"I'm wondering the same thing but I'm afraid to find out."_

_"I don't blame you, Sis." _

_They stayed together until the yelling calmed down._

_"You do not need to follow other people like myself with people you know nothing about! I'm taking Jessica and Ryan and have them move out of here!"_

_Bob didn't seem to care if she took his children or not._

_"By the way, I'm going to get a lawyer for full – custody on the kids!"_

_Ryan and Jessica never heard their mother acting angry like this before._

_"You looked like you were kissing him! It was a first date for you both but why would you need to kiss on a first date with someone you don't know?"_

_"I can kiss on a first date if I want to and it is my business to date him if I want to!"_

_Potsie didn't want to stick around longer to hear this argument so he whispered to her good – night and would see her some other time. Velma didn't blame Potpie for being in the middle of her fight with Bob. Bob watched through the screen door to see Potpie out of the house. Bob sighed with relief, happy Potpie was gone._

_End Flashback_

"I'll start making breakfast for him," Sheryl said, going into the house.

When she got in, she found Alan into the kitchen with Henry and Marie.

"Alan, what are these strangers doing in our house?" Velma and Potsie heard Sheryl ask.

"They're not strangers, Sheryl. I'll explain later," Alan said.

"Better explain now," Sheryl said.

"Okay, I'll tell you," he said as they sat at the kitchen table.

He told the story. She listened to it, surprised.

"So that's what Andrea was doing here?" she asked.

"Yes. Now you've heard all these stories about Marie and Henry, so you're going to meet them in a minute. Henry is Warren's son. He's not a singer, but an actor for TV. I'll bring them out now if you wish," Alan said.

"All right."

"Velma, wait till you see Henry and Aunt Marie. This is the best gift I've gotten all these years. Andrea said they were kidnapped all these years and the sheriff found them," Potsie said.

"So you were telling me she had houseguests from Chicago?" Velma asked.

"She said she made the story up. Turned out the houseguests were Henry and Aunt Marie."

Alan came out a few minutes later.

"Warren, do you want Velma to see Marie and Henry?" he asked.

"Sure. We were just talking about it," Potsie said.

"I'll be right back," Alan said, and disappeared back into the house again.

"Marie, Henry, would you like to be with Warren and Velma for a while?" Alan asked.

They said they would like that.

"All right. Let's go see them," Alan said.

They were outside within a second or two. Velma was surprised to see Henry and Marie. Her eyes were big when she saw the two of them.

"Mom, what are you doing in that chair?" Henry asked.

"It's a long story, Henry. Arthur can tell you what happened," Velma said.

"Where is Arthur?" Henry asked.

"He's staying with Uncle Wayne," Potsie told him.

"Oh. Can I call him?" Henry asked.

"Let him be surprised," Potsie told him.

"Okay," Henry said.

The phone rang. It was for Henry.

"Henry, did you leave a phone number?" Alan asked.

"I guess I did. Who is it?"

"Someone from the cast you work with at General Hospital. He says his name is Eric Anderson," Alan said.

"I'll take the call," Henry said.

He went into the kitchen and took the phone call.

"What are you talking about?" Marie asked, not knowing what was going on.

"Henry has a career, but it's nothing like ours, Marie. He is an actor on TV. His character is popular. He's doing two shows, two shoes, one is a soap opera and another is an action show," Alan said.

"Is he really that good?" Marie asked.

"Yes," was the answer from Potsie.

"Hi, Eric. How did you get my number?" Henry asked.

"I got it from your application," Eric said.

"I see. I guess that's okay. I guess I should have given it to you the other day," Henry said.

"I tried calling your aunt's house, but there was no answer," Eric said.

"She's at the sheriff's department today," Henry said.

"I see. Where do you want to go for lunch today?" Eric asked.

"I really don't care. How about if you pick me up at Alan Osmond's house? You probably saw the address on the application," Henry said.

"I saw it. I know how to get there. You're there now, right?" Eric asked.

"Yeah. I am. I'll be waiting till you pick me up," Henry said.

"All right. I'll be there in an hour," Eric said.

"Okay."

"I'll be in the limo."

"The limo? I had no idea you had one."

"I've had it for a few years," Eric said.

"All right. I have someone watch for you. How big is it?" Henry asked.

"It's small. A black one," Eric said.

"Do we need the plate number?" Henry asked.

Eric gave it out.

"Okay. We'll be watching. I might be in the backyard," Henry said.

"Okay."

They got off the phone.

Henry saw Alan was in the kitchen again.

"Uncle Alan, my friend from General Hospital, Eric Anderson is picking me up in an hour. We're going out for lunch. He's in a black limo, so will someone watch for it if I don't?" Henry asked.

"Sure. Is there a license plate number?" Alan asked.

Henry gave it to him.

"Okay. We'll let you know when he's here, Henry," Alan said.

"Thanks. I told him to come here because I'm over here."

"How did he get my phone number?" Alan asked.

"He saw it on my job application. You were one of the references," Henry said.

"Oh."

Alan got on the phone and dialed Andrea at the sheriff's office. She was in her office.

"Hi, Uncle Alan. How are Henry and Aunt Marie?" she asked.

"Fine. They're fine. They're outside with Warren and Velma. Velma was surprised to see them," Alan said.

He told her about Henry's phone call with Eric Anderson.

"All right. We'll make sure someone is following Henry," Andrea said.

"Okay. Eric is coming here at the house in an hour."

They hung up.


	5. Chapter 5

Eric arrived at the promised time. His car was the way he described it to Henry over the telephone. Alan was in the house, watching for the limo. He saw Eric arrived right on time.

"Eric's here, Henry!"

Henry was surprised to know Eric arrived at the exact time he mentioned over the telephone.

"Hi, Henry," Eric said once his limo driver opened the door for Henry.

"Thanks, sir," Henry said.

"My pleasure."

The man today was wearing the usual tie and suit like some men did when they were out on business. Today he was in his late fifties, overweight, wearing glasses. Henry did not want to be rude to say something to the driver like that so he stayed quiet.

"Where to, Mr. Anderson?" the driver asked.

Eric gave out the address.

"On our way," he said to both actors.

"We need to get caught up from the last time we saw each other," Eric told him.

"I know but I still don't want the media to know I've survived all this time."

"We'll talk in a quiet place if that works for you."

"Sure. Sounds great," Henry agreed.

Henry was out to lunch for an hour because that was Eric's lunch hour. They hung out at a hamburger joint the day. The place was packed. Arthur showed up at lunchtime to hang out for a few hours. He had no idea what was going on.

"Hi, Dad. Happy birthday," Arthur said.

Marie was upstairs at Alan's house when Arthur showed up, so he didn't see her right away.

Arthur was in the kitchen with Potpie and Velma, telling what was going on at Wayne's house the past couple days. Sheryl was making pizza for lunch that day.

"We stayed up until eleven o'clock last night, playing Scrabble. I won!" Arthur said.

"How many of you were playing Scrabble?" Potsie asked.

"Let's see. It was me, Uncle Wayne, Uncle Merrill, Uncle Jimmy and Uncle Jay," Arthur said.

Marie joined them at that time when she heard Jay's name being mentioned.

"Arthur, you wouldn't believe what your father got for his birthday this morning from Andrea," Velma said.

"What did Aunt Andrea give you, Dad?" Arthur asked.

"You'll have to find out for yourself. I can't tell you," Potsie said.

"It's okay, Warren. Go tell him," Velma said.

"Let him be surprised," Potsie said.

"Okay."

"Be surprised about what?" Arthur asked.

"Your father's birthday gift," Velma told him.

"Oh. Is it a good one this year?" Arthur asked.

"Yes," Potsie said.

Marie came into the kitchen just then and sat at the table with the others and sat by Potpie. Arthur didn't see Marie, so he didn't know she was there. Alan came into the kitchen again after getting the mail and newspaper.

"Just the usual mail," Alan told Sheryl.

"Really? We should be expecting Christmas mail pretty soon," Sheryl said.

"You know it, but that's coming next month," Alan told his wife.

After lunch was over, Alan headed over to Donny's house with Potsie and Velma.

"Help yourself to as much you want," Alan told them.

"We'll take some of it to the grandchildren. Is that a good idea, Warren? Some of it might be yours from when you were growing up," Velma said.

"True. Let's see what we can find," he said.

The three of them headed to Potpie's old bedroom first. Alan opened the door and they went in.

"Just the way we left it, Velma," Alan said.

The bedroom was now being to lose its color. The light looked like it was about to die out after all the years nobody had been around the house. The closet was medium – sized, so it held a lot of room for unused junk. The bed's bedspread and bed frame looked like they needed to go to the junkyard as well. The bed and bed frame was now probably about thirty to forty years old and had not been touched in many years.

The bedspread already faded, but the bed looked like it was on its last legs.

"We need to get rid of the bed, Uncle Alan."

"We will. We'll do that soon," Alan promised him.

"Okay. Sounds good to me."

The closet now held a bunch of Potsie's childhood junk but a lot of it looked like it was no use anymore. He and Velma somehow had this feeling that Alan and Scott would love his old – fashioned toys and books and all that. The games included:

Chutes and Ladders

Candy Land

Barbie and Ken (Barbie was Andrea and Virginia's doing)

Of course there were other games that did not need to be added to the long list. The closet did have enough room for both his toy junk and his sisters' but not everything. Most of it probably was cleaned out many years ago without Potpie and his sisters' knowing about it. Donny was probably spring cleaning and decided to throw out a lot of the old toys and stuff and didn't bother asking the three if they still wanted to keep it, Velma thought to herself.

"Yeah, the last time I'll be in here, too," Potsie said.

"We're thinking of selling this place. We don't know when yet," Alan told him.

"I've got an idea. Give this house to Arthur, since he's moving to Utah," Potsie said.

"That's an idea. We'll find out what to do with this place if he doesn't want it," Alan said.

"Okay," Potsie said.

In the closet, Alan and Potsie found Potsie's old books and toys and clothes, so they took them out and put them into boxes for Potpie and Velma to take home.

"Give them to your grandchildren, Warren. Let them have a turn to enjoy these things," Alan said.

"All right. They're Stephanie's children. We have grandsons," Potsie told Alan.

"I didn't know."

"We have two grandsons, so they are usually well-behaved," Potsie said.

"How well do you know them?" Alan asked.

"Not very well. We met them not long ago a couple of times," Velma said.

_Flashback:_

_Velma and Potsie were invited to dinner at Stephanie and Roger's place for supper that Thursday night. Two young boys, named Alan and Scott Presley, were too energetic that night he and Velma walked into the house._

_"Alan, Scott, meet your grandmother and grandfather, Warren and Velma Webber," Stephanie told the boys._

_"Hi," Scott said shyly._

_Scott usually was not shy when he met people for the first time but today was different._

_"Roger's upstairs, taking care of some last-minute business," Stephanie told her parents and closed the front door behind them._

_Stephanie didn't bother mentioning just yet about Roger's huge health issues. She thought she'd wait for the right time to tell them. Maybe the last-minute, she thought to herself. The oldest, Alan, was ten – years old and Potpie and Velma could guess where his background came from. Alan's background told him he got his looks from Elvis Presley since he looked exactly like him._

_Scott was the youngest, but he didn't have the Elvis Presley look like Alan did. He had more of a light brown hair that was close to Velma's own brown hair. Tonight Alan's hair was shaggy – looking. Scott' hair looked like it had been recently washed. Tonight was a family get – together since Stephanie invited her mother and father to meet the kids._

_"Mom, Dad, I'd like you to meet the kids. This one is Alan," Stephanie introduced the ten – year – old look-alike Elvis Presley._

_"And this one is Scott," Stephanie introduced the five – year – old._

_"They're both cute. We can tell they're hyper tonight," Velma told her daughter._

_"I know. They're always energetic," Stephanie told them._

_They understood what she meant. They themselves had been like that when they were Scott and Alan's ages so that was why they understood._

_"What are we having tonight?" Potsie asked._

_"Roger is passing on eating but he'll enjoy meeting you two after what I've told him," Stephanie said._

_"Why isn't he eating with us?" Velma asked._

_"Health issues."_

_Potsie and Velma didn't want to get into their daughter's husband's personal issues so they didn't bother asking what they were since it was none of their beeswax. _

_Roger came down. Like Stephanie, Roger was just about her age – sixty – seven but it turned out they had birthdays that were close so they end up celebrating their birthdays together. Potpie and Velma looked around the house. It did not have any animals present, but the floor was hardwood. Both Velma and Potpie saw there was no carpet flooring to be seen. Their grandsons, Alan and Scott, were wearing shoes since the hardwood floor was not meant for sitting on. When they did want to play, they would've to wear shoes. _

_Potpie and Velma did notice Roger did not look familiar to them but they had known he was a football coach for the Green Bay Packers. He was redheaded but looked really ill to them. Even his eyes had dark circles around them._

_"Hi, Roger. It's so nice to meet you," Velma said as his sneeze went out._

_"Bless you," Potpie told him._

_"Thanks," he said in a stuffy voice._

_No wonder he looks and acts sick," Velma thought to herself._

_"Is that sneeze a cold?" Velma asked Stephanie._

_"No."_

_Roger answered Velma's question before Stephanie did. His voice sounded scratchy to them. To him and Velma, Potsie did think it was nothing to do with a cold. During the meal conversation, Roger's nose was running and his eyes were still stuffy. He didn't bother talking to either him or Velma, so when they asked him a question he would either nod yes or shake his head no. Roger had been this sick since he was five years old so there was no way to get out of it._

_While Roger nodded and shook his head, Stephanie did all the talking._

_Roger had been like this several years but had trouble answering questions so somebody else had to do the talking for him. When he would answer he wouldn't say much in words. _

_"You two going to behave yourselves when Grandma and Grandpa are here for tonight?" Stephanie asked the two young children._

_"Yes, Mom," they both answered energetically. _

_Scott and Alan did notice their grandparents never looked familiar to them because their mother never bothered sharing any pictures to them._

_End Flashback_

"Looks like you two need someone to live with you again. We'll talk about it again sometime," Alan said.

"It's hard to get around town," Potsie said, "since we don't drive anymore."

Marie didn't like what she heard.

"What are you talking about, Alan?" Marie asked.

"I'll explain later, Marie," Alan said.


	6. Chapter 6

Henry came back at one o'clock that afternoon. Arthur was still at Alan's when Henry came into the house. Arthur was on the phone with Jimmy when Henry walked into the house. Henry heard Arthur say something to Jimmy but couldn't quite catch what he was saying. Henry was standing right behind Arthur while he was on the phone. He stayed behind Arthur and closed his eyes as soon as he hung up the phone.

"Guess who?" Henry said.

Arthur could only see hands over his eyes.

"Let me guess. I know that voice. Henry?" Arthur asked.

"It's me," Henry said.

"Let me turn around, but first, take your hands off my eyes," Arthur said.

So he did what he was told.

"Where did you come from, Henry Webber? I thought you were dead all these years," Arthur said.

"I'm not supposed to talk about it," Henry said.

"You can tell me. I'm your brother," Arthur said.

They headed upstairs for a while so they could talk for a while.

"I don't want to be up here. Let's go outside," Henry said.

"What's up with this outdoor thing?" Arthur asked.

"I've been trapped inside all these years. I need the fresh air," Henry said.

"Okay. We'll go outside," Arthur said.

They went to the backyard and stayed there for a few hours.

"What about Claudia? How is she?" Henry asked.

"That's a different story. We divorced, and she died of cancer years later. The kids are still alive, but not married. Arnold is living with a group home somewhere out here, but I'll try to contact them and get him out of there and have him with me," Arthur said.

"What about that Hannah? What's she doing now?" Henry asked.

"She's living in Boston. She's now senator there," Arthur said.

When the men finished getting caught up on the latest news, Arthur went inside and got on the phone. He dialed the group home Arnold was living with and talked to whoever was in charge. They said he could leave that night. Arthur joined Henry again.

"Where are you staying, Henry?" Arthur asked.

"With Aunt Andrea. So is Aunt Marie. We're staying there for the time being," Henry said.

"Oh. I'm thinking of moving here to Utah for good. Maybe you could move in with me," Arthur said.

"Maybe. Let me think about it," Henry said.

"Want to come with me tonight so I could pick up Arnold?" Arthur asked.

"Sure," Henry said.

"It takes two to take care of Arnold," Arthur said.

"Really? I didn't know that. Tell me about Mom. What happened to her?" Henry asked.

"Did she and Dad tell you that?" Arthur asked.

"No. All Mom said that you would tell me what happened," Henry said.

"All right. I'll tell you, but I know you're not going to like it," Arthur said.

He told Henry the story.

_Flashback:_

_One hot day, Velma was driving around I – 58. She was driving the Mystery Machine and then there were about over a hundred other cars trying to get to I 58. Someone made Velma not pay attention to turn right. The next minute a few other cars smashed the Mystery Machine that caused Velma to be involved with the accident._

_Velma was not with any of her friends at the time of the accident. They were busy with their other plans. They did not expect Velma anytime soon. Velma did not have a phone anywhere near her in the van, so all she had to do was wait until the paramedics arrived. When the cars smashed into the Mystery Machine, Velma couldn't move any of her parts to get up. She couldn't even unbuckle the seatbelt. Velma never caught the drivers that caused her to get involved with the accident so she couldn't tell the police what happened or what the drivers looked like._

_Velma could not find her voice to call for help. Her mouth didn't seem want to cooperate with her today. She couldn't figure out why both voice and body parts didn't want to help her. Velma stayed behind the steering wheel, not being able to drive the running vehicle. She heard sirens coming her way. Somebody must've reported the accident to the police and ambulance. She didn't know who would be calling in the accident but figured it was a call that person did not want to give their name out._

_Somehow the caller who called for the police and the ambulance also volunteered to call her friends to let them know what happened. The police did appreciate it and thanked the caller. The police were able to get to Velma first. The sheriff when was middle – aged but he wanted to help her out until the ambulance arrived._

_"Sorry to hear you had to get involved this accident, Ms. Dinkley. We'll be able to get you into the emergency room," he told her._

_Velma couldn't even nod her head to say thank you._

_The ambulance showed up shortly after the sheriff's car did. They carried out a stretcher. Velma did not have any bleeding areas when the accident occurred but found the paramedics carrying her on the stretcher. _

_"Are you all right, Ms. Dinkley?" one paramedic asked._

_Still Velma couldn't answer them._

_"She didn't answer me either," the sheriff told them._

_"The accident must be that bad, eh?" _

_"Guess so. We'll probably have to do some snooping around to who did this to you, Ms. Dinkley," the sheriff told her._

_She did appreciate this because she wanted to know why this had to be her involved in the accident but she was innocent._

_The paramedics arrived to the hospital just less than fifteen minutes. They carried the stretcher into the emergency room. The emergency room looked full, Velma could see so she was the last one in so far but room was running out for patients behind her._

_The emergency room doctor showed up about forty – five minutes later. Her friends didn't show up until the doctor was looking at her x – rays to find out what the real problem was._

_She saw the worried looks on her friends' faces. Of course they did worry about her because they were a close detective group and didn't want to lose one another. _

_"What's wrong with Velma, Doc?" Fred asked._

_"The accident was worse but the vehicles somehow crashed into that van of yours. To me it looks like Ms. Dinkley here is paralyzed from the accident. We could try physical therapy but that would be useless. We will have to diagnose her to paralyze for the rest of her life. She could've died in the accident," the doctor told them._

_Her friends shared scared looks to one another Velma looked was familiar. _

_"I can tell you kids one thing: it will take her a while to get her voice back but for time being you'll have to write what you have to tell her. Sorry for the bad news," the doctor said._

_Velma was welcome to go back home in the following month. The Mystery Machine was in custody so they had to find another way for a vehicle that Velma's newly wheelchair would fit. The group had to discuss having the Mystery Machine have a spot for wheelchairs. They would work on that discussion while the Mystery Machine was in custody._

_End Flashback_

"I sure don't like this, Arthur. You were right," Henry said.


	7. Chapter 7

The sheriff at the jail called up the Osmonds just then. He was saying the kidnapper's lawyer would like to see them in court. It also had involved the accident Velma was in long ago, including Henry and Marie's kidnapper. The lawyer was the same person who was defending Donny's kidnapper.

"We will go and see you in court, then," Alan said.

After hanging up, Alan told the family it was the sheriff calling, setting up a time for them to go to court.

"And it also involved your car accident, Velma," Alan said to her.

"Wouldn't we love to hear about that one," Velma remarked.

Nobody said a word.

The trial was going to be in a few weeks. The sheriff scheduled it for seven – thirty in the morning on a Friday. Alan said once again that they would be there.

"I wonder what the kidnapper has to say," Potsie said, "so I'm coming along to find out why they got Velma involved."

"That's what we're going to find out, Warren."

The few weeks arrived quickly. Now the trial was in session.

Potsie and Alan saw there was the same kidnapper that had murdered Donny. Potsie couldn't believe it involved Donny's kidnapper but somehow there was a link to what happened. He wanted to go to court to find out what the kidnappers were going to say what they did. Even Velma went along because she wanted to hear why she was involved in this whole mess.

The lawyer, whose name was Dan Rhodes, was the first to speak. Dan was about forty – sih, light – strawberry red hair, hair neatly washed and combed. He did not have a haircut but it looked like the recent haircut he had recently was starting to grow back to normal. Dan wore the usual business suit with a tie and pants to go with it. He was wearing glasses. The suit was light tan with stripes. Even the tie and pants matched it. He was about six feet tall.

"Would you please tell the court why you involved this family?" Dan asked.

Donny's kidnapper spoke up first. The kidnapper had the kind of face that needed a shave, a zit or two on his left cheek, dark circles in his eyes, a beard.

"Well, those guys made me do it!" the kidnapper said, pointing to the other four.

"Why would they make you?" Dan asked.

"I don't know. I somehow got into the mix – up. I decided to give in after they talked me into it. I swear I didn't-"

"Enough. We don't need anymore details for now, Mr. James."

So James was still on the witness stand.

The other lawyer, who was the DA, spoke up next. He looked like he was fresh out of law school. This was his first jury duty as a lawyer. The DA cleared his throat. He did use it in a tone of voice people didn't like.

"Mr. James, am I correct you killed a Mr. Donny Osmond at eight – twenty – three at night on the twenty – eighth of September?"

"Uh, I think so. Time I didn't pay attention to."

The DA went to continue on.

"So you all know, this is my first assignment to handle a suspect in court. I want to try to do my best work. I do have another question, Mr. James. Have you been involved in a murder case before?"

James shook his head and answered, "No, sir."

"No further questions, Your Honour."

Then Dan took his turn after the DA sat down.

"Mr. James, is it clear you used a .38 Smith & Wesson to kill Donny Osmond?"

"I think so, Sir."

"Does the name Donny Osmond mean anything to you?"

"No, Sir. I've never heard of him."

"You killed Donny Osmond to stop him from going to do a sold – out show?"

"I did not even know he was headed to a recent concert!"

James did not even care what Donny was doing or going.

"Did you have a ticket to see this show?" Dan asked.

"No, sir. I didn't plan on going to a dumb rock and roll concert," James answered.

"No more questions, Your Honour," Dan said.

James got out of the witness stand.

"I would like to call a Mr. Jameson to the stand," Dan spoke up.

Velma and Potpie saw Jameson was younger than James himself was. Jameson wore an apron, looking like he was a cook in some restaurant, which he was.

"Mr. Jameson, have you met Mr. James before to involve him in this crime?" Dan asked.

"No, sir. I did not."

"Was Donny Osmond with anyone at the time of the murder?" Dan asked.

"I don't know, Sir. I never paid that much attention."

"We've been told you were waiting in the parking lot for a guest or two. What were you planning on doing at nine – sixteen in the morning waiting?" Dan asked.

"I was waiting for those guys," James said looking in the other kidnappers' direction.

"And what did you have planned?" Dan asked.

"We wanted to hang out, smoke pot, crack jokes and other stuff. Is that any of your business?" James asked.

The DA finally stood up from the table he was sitting near the front door. Everyone watched him as he stood up but did not walk to the witness stand.

"I have one question for you," he said.

"What's that?" James asked.

Watching the DA as he pulled a bullet from his shirts pocket.

"Is this the same bullet that fired at Donny Osmond?" he asked.

Everyone in the courtroom looked at the tiny bullet. It was the size of a cigar.

"I don't recognize it," James said.

"No further questions, Your Honour."

James was able to get out of the witness stand.

"I would like to call a Sam Good to the stand," the DA said.

Secretly to himself watching the twenty – ish strawberry blonde kid take the stand that he thought he was doing well for his first courtroom assignment. He was happy he'd been successful so far.

"Sam, what were you doing before you met your friends to kill Mr. Osmond?" the DA asked.

"I don't remember, Sir. If I did, I would answered this query by now. I know nothing of sorts," he answered.

"Let me say this, Sam. Did you actually say to your friends, 'I have a gun and I need to shoot somebody. It makes me feel great'?"

"I think I remember saying that but it's not clear to my mind now."

"Why would you want to shoot somebody who has a name you don't recognize?" the DA asked.

"I don't know."

Then Dan got up once more.

"Did you really feel like using a weapon on that particular day?" Dan asked.

"I did, Your Honour. Something was making me have that moody feeling to shoot somebody that had a name that wasn't recognizable."

"I have another question, Sam. Were you the same person who caused a car accident that made Ms. Dinkley handicapped for the rest of her life?" Dan spoke up, still standing from his table.

"I was one of them, yes."

"Why would you want to involve someone famous as she is?" the DA asked.

"No idea. It was one of those guys' ideas," Sam said, looking in James and Jameson's directions.

"That is all, Your Honour."

Sam was able to get out of the witness stand.

Dan took over from where the DA stood.

"I'd like to ask Jameson to come to the stand," Dan said.

Jameson took the witness stand once more.

"Were you the one who came up with the idea to kidnap Henry and Marie?" Dan asked.

"Yes, sir."

"You should know by now kidnapping is against the law and is first – degree murder," Dan said.

"I know, sir."

"If you knew that was against the law, why did you do it anyway?" Dan asked.

Jameson shook his head.

"I guess I didn't pay much attention of what was the law and what wasn't."

"Very well."

Dan took his seat after saying, "No further questions."

The DA was up next.

"We found during this investigation during Mr. Osmond's hostage and murder he did not get fed by any of you. We even checked his wallet. Is it true you took credit cards, cash, and driver's license to make the law think you were Mr. Osmond?' the DA asked.

He shook his head.

"I didn't! I would never do such thing to a rock star!" Jameson lied.

"We know you're lying, Jameson. Tell us the truth," the DA said strictly.

"All right. I did do it but I was talked into doing it when I kept saying no. I'm sorry but I didn't mean to."

_Flashback:_

_A couple of days after Donny being murdered, Jameson, James and the other kidnappers decided to separate for a while. James volunteered to stay behind with Donny while the other men went to concentrate on Henry and Marie._

_"See you guys later," James said._

_"Same here. Call if he decides to try to walk away," Jameson told him._

_"Gotcha."_

_Before Jameson and the other guys left, they heard the radio chattering._

_"This has been a couple of days now since the people began this investigation on finding out where rock star Donny Osmond had disappeared. So far the police have no clues to where Donny Osmond could be running off. As the reports say, Donny was going to have a concert not too far away from here when he got held up._

_Whoever did see the hold up, please call the sheriff's office to let us know if there was a witness to this whole thing. More later."_

_"Now let's split before the cops find us!" Jameson said._

_"What about me? I don't want handcuffs on me either!" James said._

_"You're staying here to make sure the cops don't find him. We'll call you and see how the other two are doing."_

_"All right, boss."_

_End Flashback_

The DA once again cleared his throat.

"What we found was you were the one who stayed back with Donny Osmond while these other three went to check up on Henry and Marie. Am I right?" the DA asked.

James nodded his head.

"Yes, sir."

"When we were there at the crime scene, we did find blood loss in the second floor of the house you and this group had Donny Osmond tied up. He was already gone by the time the police came to check out what happened.

"Is that right Donny Osmond was shot by you?" the DA asked, giving Jameson a look.

"Yes, sir," was the reply.

"Then the paramedics and ME come along. You were already long gone by the time we came to the crime scene. The ME had the cause of death as first – degree murder. We found the reports that Donny Osmond was killed almost instantly. The time of death was sometime the night before you took his credit cards and identification. Am I correct?"

Jameson nodded his head.

"I would like to call Jameson to the stand."

Jameson took the witness stand.

"We were reported that there was a witness to this whole plot. It's a woman and she came here to testify on what exactly happened," the DA said.

The woman was sitting in the front row, but she happened to be one of the jurors for the case.

"You see her? She's one of the jurors on this case. She called immediately after what had happened. We will hear her story in a few minutes."

Jameson studied the woman. She was average height, slender, normal weight. She had shoulder length curly blonde hair.

Jameson and the gang had never noticed there was a witness watching them.

"So you went with these guys except James to check up on Henry and Marie. By that time you arrived to see how Henry and Marie were doing, the place was trashed. Jewelry was stolen, silverware, and other valuables that belonged to the deputy sheriff, Andrea Webber. Do you want to explain on what happened during the time you trashed Deputy Webber's house?"

"Sustained."

The DA himself was starting to get tired of staying here in the courthouse for over three hours but he wanted this crime to be closed.

Once again he took his seat and let Dan do more questioning.

"I'd like to call Amanda Clark to the stand," Dan said as the crowded courtroom watch the juror take the stand.

"Do you promise to tell the truth and nothing but the truth?"

"I do."

"What were you doing at the time of the hold up in the parking lot?"

"I was on my way home after getting an autograph or two and I saw those guys looking like they were trying to hold Mr. Osmond for something they wanted and Mr. Osmond never gave them anything. I was there in time to watch the scene.

"Two of them were holding Mr. Osmond roughly by the chest. Mr. Osmond couldn't try calling for help because of the grip that man over there was doing," Amanda said, looking at Jameson.

"Go on."

"The scene went on for a few minutes longer. I thought I'd call the police station and report it, which I did. I did not want those crooks to see what I was doing, so I quickly grabbed my cell out of my purse and dialed immediately. This was about the most frightening thing I've ever seen in years."

Amanda said it with a quick breath.

The crowd in the courtroom saw the look Amanda gave Jameson. They could tell she hadn't slept a wink since she saw.

"Where were you going when you saw this holdup?" Dan asked.

"I was going to the grocery store to stop by and grab some food. We ran out and I had a grocery list in my purse to make sure I didn't leave it behind at the house after the show. I had just grabbed my car keys out of my purse when I heard fighting and yelping. I saw Donny Osmond trying to yelp for help but nobody was around to hear him."

"Thank you, ma'am. That is all for now."

She stayed in the witness stand for a bit longer since she wasn't asked to leave yet.

"We'd like to hear more about the accident Ms. Dinkley was in. She had the van she and her friends had for several years, the Mystery Machine."

Finally Amanda took her seat again in the juror section.

The projector came on. It showed Velma and the Mystery Machine. He asked Velma to the stand. She was wheeled to the stand but she stayed in her wheelchair.

"Let's focus on the scene a bit," he said.

Turning to Velma, he said, "Ms. Dinkley, could you identify the person (s) who wrecked your famous Mystery Machine?"

"I don't think I saw who it was to cause me to take a wrong turn. I was headed home after picking up the van since it had an oil change. It was about after ten o'clock a few days after we heard about the murder. I was horrified on who had murdered Donny Osmond. He was such a nice man. He was friendly to me when I met Mr. Webber for the first time. It was a shame to hear about his death.

When the ambulance came to put me on the stretcher, I somehow saw the fender bender had a couple dents from what happened to the van. Fred, who's the leader of the group, was shocked to see the dents. He was the driver but he wasn't around when I was involved with the accident. I was by myself so I can't say what my friends think.

"When the ambulance took me into the emergency room, it felt like I've been there a long time but I really couldn't tell since the doctors put me on pain pills. Boy, did I feel a lot of pain when that accident happened.

"Of course I do remember most of it but not all. I've told you all I know," Velma said.

"Does this look familiar to you?" the lawyer asked, showing Velma the scene in the projector.

Velma studied it.

''Of course it does."

"That is all, Ms. Dinkley, and thank you for identifying the look of the scene in this picture."

"You're welcome."

"As we were told, there were no witnesses. Am I correct?" he asked Velma.

"Correct."

"I think it wraps up the case. Let's have the court decide on who is lying and who is telling the truth."

They watched as the jurors wrote their answer.

"It looks like it's one hundred percent the answer is guilty. Jameson, you and your pals are under arrest for first – degree murder with kidnapping, stealing identifications, car accident. You will be serving a long time in jail," he told the group.

The court watched as the police took Jameson and his friends away. The DA saw he was happy this first court session went successfully well for his first assignment.

"Now I can start my career," he said silently to himself, smiling.


End file.
